Upper West River to be Studied this Summer
The water quality of the upper West River and some of its tributaries is getting closely examined this summer. Fitzgerald Environmental Associates has been hired through the State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct a Stream Geomorphic Assessment (SGA), which is a way of assessing, understanding, and evaluating the condition of the river system.
According to Marie Caduto, Vermont DEC Watershed Planner for the southeastern portion of Vermont which includes the West River and its tributaries, “this project has been in the works for several years. The local communities are concerned that the recreational use of Townshend Lake and the West River has been impacted by all the sediment moving down the river since Tropical Storm Irene. What we are looking to study is where this sediment is coming from and to find on-the-ground projects that can be done to help stabilize the erosion.”
